The next time Sean and Claire had the unfortunate occasion to run across her parents, it was slightly less than two weeks later. They had made their way to town, where an animal auction was being held that afternoon. The two had made several trips to town of late, procuring all the items that would make their new home complete. The horses were the last item on the list now that Sean was nearly finished building the barn next to the small cabin.

They took their seats at the auction, smiling happily to each other. They each made sure to not allow much more affection in public other than just the small distance they kept between themselves at all times. Though there wasn’t complete truth in her parents’ accusations,they still needed to behave as conservatively as possible any time they were around others. They mostly just received a few suspicious looks as Sean was a stranger to most. Though, a few did know of who his employer had been, and Claire had always been a bit of a black sheep. However, now that Haven and his women had virtually disappeared, leaving both Claire and her new beau behind, most attempted to give them the benefit of the doubt. Of course that was provided they never did anything remotely questionable in public.

As they awaited the beginning of the auction the two spoke quietly to each other, commenting on various horses that awaited sale that day. They would have struck anyone as a completely happy young couple in love. And for the most part, that’s what they were. Stormy childhoods and family connections aside. But then, those less desirable family connections had to be confronted once more as Claire’s parents arrived at the same auction.

Sean was speaking quietly about a gray stallion he was interested in when Claire’s eyes drifted to the doorway of the auction house in the heart of the small town. She immediately tensed as her eyes fell upon the new arrivals. Being as hyperaware as he was of every bit of her body language, Sean quickly noted the change in her demeanor and moved his eyes to the door to see what had caused that change.

“Great,” he mumbled, not happy about their arrival either. “Do you wanna go?” he asked her softly. He had to force back the urge to reach over to comfort her with his touch, as he would have done had they been behind the walls of their own home.

“There’s not another auction ‘til the end of August,” Claire answered him with a brave breath. Though she couldn’t keep her eyes from staying glued to her parents as they greeted a few friends near the entrance. “And the plan was to have the horses by tomorrow, remember?” she reminded him, managing a small smile.

“Oh, no I completely forgot about tomorrow,” he told her with a wry sarcasm. Neither of them could have possibly forgotten about their plans for that very next day,

“Quiet, you,” she teased with a more sincere, though brief smile. Though she couldn't pull her eyes from her parents, tensing again as she saw the local priest approaching to greet her mother and father.

“Mr. and Mrs. Wallace,” Father Collins moved to greet them with a smile. Camilla returned the smile, while Benjamin simply nodded as he distractedly surveyed the room. “Allow me to be the first to congratulate you. Looking forward to seeing you both tomorrow.”

“Pardon?” Camilla asked him with a furrowed brow. The next day was not a Sunday after all.

“Come now. I know you’ve got to be overjoyed: Especially with as worried as you always were about that one.” He smiled again as his eyes accented the statement by looking over at where Claire and Sean sat.

Claire’s eyes instantly flew to the floor then. Camilla and Benjamin turned to follow his gaze as they spied Claire and Sean. Claire continued looking away while Sean had to use all kinds of willpower to keep from glaring back in their direction.

Oblivious to the tension between the two couples, Collins continued, “I knew that with as pretty as that little girl was, she’d eventually find a gentleman who managed to look past her... quirks, shall we say?” he teased as he gently touched Camilla's shoulder before moving away to greet another member of his congregation.

“What is he talking about? Tomorrow?” Camilla asked her husband under her breath once Collins had moved away. As she spoke, she tried to keep a blank expression, rather than showing her shock at seeing Claire and Sean there, as well as her confusion over Collins' words.

“How should I know?” Benjamin scoffed as he centered another cold look on his daughter and future son-in-law before heading off to find where there may have been drinks being served.

Camilla took a deep breath and scowled after her husband before steeling herself to head toward the seats where Sean and her daughter sat. Both tensed ever further upon her approach. Camilla took another breath, forcing an obviously fake smile to a few more acquaintances as she took an awkward seat next to her daughter.

“Exactly what is Father Collins congratulating me for? And why is he looking forward to seeing me tomorrow?” she asked Claire through clenched teeth, continuing to try to hold a pleasant expression.

Claire took a deep, annoyed breath at her mother’s presence before forcing an answer, “I already told you. We’re getting married, remember?” she returned in a sarcastic, yet quiet tone.

“What? Tomorrow?” Camilla asked loudly as she turned toward her daughter. She then forced another nervous smile as a few of the people surrounding them glanced back at her raise in volume.

“Yes, tomorrow,” Claire answered with another shake of her head. “That’s why we’re here today. We needed to get horses for the carriage ride home from the chapel tomorrow,” she offered with a lack of enthusiasm. She couldn't help the bitterness of her tone as she mentioned the church. She had become even less fond of any Christian establishments over her last few years of friendship with Chantarell.

“And when exactly were you planning on telling me about any of this?” Camilla asked, trying to force her volume to remain low through the shocking news.

“Yes, cause you’ve been such the supportive mother,” Sean scoffed, though under his breath.

“I’m talking to my daughter here,” she told him sharply, still understandably upset by their last conversation.

“No, you’re talking to the woman who’s going to be my wife; as of this time tomorrow,” Sean told her with just as much bite. He looked away with another shake of his head, as Claire couldn't help a small smile at the sound of his words, despite the tension of the rest of the conversation.

“How can you afford to be buying horses now anyway?” Camilla moved on. Not shying away in the face of their displeasure at her presence did somehow help prove that some tiny portion of Claire’s lack of docility, was indeed hereditary. “Aren’t you unemployed, now?” she retorted, quite pleased that ‘that nasty Torrence household’ had abandoned their little town.

“Actually, that employer of mine that you hated so very much left me quite the financial bonus before he left,” Sean told her in the same sharp tone.

“He did?” Camilla asked, his words slowing her own tirade a bit. “Enough to give Claire a decent life, after all?” she asked, still dubious of his words.

Sean just scoffed and bit his tongue to keep from spitting out his immediate reaction to her comment. “Yes, quite a bit actually. It’s just too bad we don’t have any loving relatives to share our good fortune with. What a shame, really,” he told her sarcastically.

Camilla glared back at him before she forced her attention back to Claire. “So, when is this wedding?” she managed to ask.

“Why? So you can decide to not ‘forever hold your peace,’ after all?” Claire returned, matching Sean’s sarcasm to help mask her fear that one of her parents might actually be cruel enough to try and stop their wedding after all.

“We weren’t trying to stop your wedding. Just trying to stop him from ruining your reputation before it ever happened,” Camilla returned, her voice lowering another decibel.

“Is that why you told me to go find a ‘proper girl?’” Sean scoffed again.

“I was angry,” Camilla excused. That was as close as she could even get to an apology, though it hardly was one either of them were likely to accept. “But if you want to be with her, and you can give her a decent life; then that’s better than I had hoped for her,” she told them. She seemed to believe she was adding to the apology, though it only came out as more insulting somehow.

Sean just scoffed again. Claire cast her sad eyes down once more, managing to be hurt by her mother’s words, yet again. “It’s at ten,” she told her somberly. “Come if you want. But only if you really want to. For once, be a mother, and don’t ruin the day you never thought I’d have anyway,” she told her in a whisper. She moved to stand, grasping Sean’s wrist as she led him off to find a seat anywhere else but with that woman.

It was late that evening when Sean had finished getting their two newly acquired horses set up in the barn. Claire was inside cleaning up after the quick meal she had made an attempt at cooking for them. As she finished putting everything away, she glanced out the window. She wasn't able to curb her smile as she allowed herself to watch Sean for several long moments. She still had trouble believing that she was finally going to have a chance at ‘happily ever after’ after all.

On that thought, she smiled out the window one last time before moving towards the back of the room. There, the large steel tub waited next to the cooling pots of water she had heated only a short while earlier. She had then remembered to tidy up after their meal. Housework was not high on the list of her talents, though she was trying to make an effort anyway.

Claire poured the still warm water into the tub, glancing toward the window again with a smile. She began unbuttoning her dress. She was still wearing the smile despite their unpleasant run-in with her mother earlier. Being back at home, alone with Sean always seemed to improve her mood. She grinned again as she dropped the dress to the floor and began on her under things.

Once Claire lowered herself into the water, her thoughts continued wandering to Sean. More specifically, she was thinking of the fact that in less than twenty-four hours, she could finally have him in all the ways she wanted him so very badly. She couldn’t help smiling at the thought as she leaned her head back. She enjoyed the feel of the warm water, and even more so, her imagined visions of what it would be like to finally feel him inside her.

Her imagination filled in all the blanks for her. It wasn't difficult, considering how he had already proved he could make her feel, with his hands alone. Claire laid her head further back, closing her eyes as she continued imagining that one last thing that was so close to coming true at last.

Claire then gave into all those desires being stirred within her. She slowly moved her hands down over her breasts, lingering upon them a moment there in the warm water. All the while, pretending that it was Sean’s hands touching her, instead. She then allowed her hands to move even lower, down over her stomach, and further beneath the water.

Her own imagination inflaming her desire that much more, Claire moved to slide her fingers inside herself. She imitated the way Sean’s own fingers had moved against her, and inside her, generously giving her that pleasure more than once during the past several nights they had spent together now.

Her moans had just started becoming a little more audible, when the inevitable interruption occurred. “I love that you like doing things for yourself… But there are some things I must insist on you still letting the man of the house do to you, or for you, I mean,” Sean teased with a huge grin, having now returned to the house. He absently let the door fall shut behind him as his body immediately reacted to the act he had caught her in.

Claire’s eyes shot open at the sound of his voice as she immediately bolted upright again. Her startled movement caused a bit of the water to flood over the edge of the tub as she pulled her fingers away from their task. Her cheeks had already turned a brighter shade of red than either of them had ever thought possible.

“God Sean!” she croaked. She just then remembered to modestly cover her bare breasts, which were easily visible above the water line, in her now upright position.

“Oh, were we to that part already?” he continued to mercilessly tease her as he still somehow managed to remember to reach behind him to lock the front door, before his feet had to move him towards her.

“I thought you were outside!” she continued in the same hoarse voice. Her cheeks still wore that lovely shade of red as she tightly held her arms over her breasts, despite how familiar Sean had become with them over the last two weeks.

“Apparently I was... for way too long. You’ve obviously been quite neglected,” he continued his teasing as he reached the side of the tub.

“You weren’t supposed to see that!” she argued, though barely audibly and through a smile, embarrassed though it was.

“Oh, don’t even think of apologizing,” he smirked as he moved to sit on the stool that the towels were previously residing on. His new position, now right next to the tub, allowed him quite the view of the rest of her body beneath the water. He then allowed another grin as he began unbuttoning his shirt. “It was the second most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, after all,” he told her in that seductive tone that came way too naturally to someone who was already as flawlessly beautiful as he.

“Second?” she swallowed as he finished removing his shirt, dropping it to the floor as his hands moved to his pants as well. “What’s the first?” she said in the same breathless tone. Claire had since loosened the grip she had had around herself due to her distraction as Sean also began to undress.

“The first? The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen?” he repeated as he stood to kick away his shoes and begin slowly pulling his pants away from his gorgeous body as well. He no longer retained any of the modesty he displayed the first time she had ever insisted on watching him undress. “That would be the way you look when I'm the one who makes you feel that,” was his simple answer as he moved toward her, his words making his plans more than obvious.